Common electrical air frying appliances include an electric heating element for heating air within the appliance and a blower for forcing the air over and around the foodstuffs to be air-fried. Such appliances function adequately but are made only for indoor use and may cause smoke and undesired cooking fumes. Summertime is a very popular time for outdoor cooking. Many fried foods, such as fried chicken, onion rings, and fried claims are popular summertime food, but have so far required indoor cooking. Few food items are as historically paired as hamburgers and French fries, yet summertime burgers are typically cooked outdoors while French fries have so far required indoor cooking.
In order to simulate the qualities of properly deep-fried foods, air fried foods must be exposed to turbulent air having a temperature of approximately 220 degrees C. This ensures the even browning and crispiness like that which is obtained when cooking in hot oil. But such is difficult to obtain from a propane flame. While propane burns at a very high temperature, transferring that heat from the flame in a highly turbulent environment to obtain the needed air-frying temperature and turbulence at the food has so far been unobtainable.
There exists the need for an apparatus which allows for the outdoor cooking of fried foods, and such may be an object of the invention. There exists the need for an apparatus which allows for such outdoor cooking of fried foods in combination with outdoor grilling, and such may be an object of the invention. There exists the need for the ability to share fuel use, cooking utensils, clean-up, and other things between outdoor grilling and outdoor frying, and such may be an object of the invention. There exists the need for a system which causes a high enough temperature at its heat source to result in adequate air-frying conditions at the food, and such may be an object of the invention. There exists the need for a system which causes that high enough temperature by injecting air into the heat source using a blower that also causes the needed turbulence for those adequate air-frying conditions at the food, and such may be an object of the invention. Further needs and objects of the invention will become apparent upon a review of the following disclosure of an exemplary embodiment.